Steering minutes: 2010-05-02

Minutes:

>
> Minutes of Steering Committee Meeting
>
> 5-2-10
>
> Present: Gail, Judith, Helen, Jim, Sarah, Amy, Nancy
>
> Guest: Rusty
>
>
>
> 1. Report from Touchstone (Rusty)
>
>
>
> The Maker Faire: Dale and Betsy will get together to think about how
> cohousing might be represented.
>
>
>
> The Fire Pit: TS-Steering has no objections to seeing it go. There are
> people who have sensitivity to smoke. There is a group that would like to
> have a fire pit but they haven’t identified an alternate location. Rod is
> planning to clean it up on the second Community Work Day.
>
>
>
> Helping TS folks with GO washing machines/dryers: A few GOers have signed
> up to do this.
>
>
>
> Tom I. said it would be nice to have another tutorial/orientation session
> sometime for the GO kitchen. It was really well done and well attended,
> but many GOers could use a refresher and some TS people were not able to
> attend the first session.
>
>
>
> Communication: GO still needs help figuring out who to contact at TS. Rusty
> said that Mary Ann Marquart is the contact for TS work days at the GO CH.
>
>
>
> Meals: TS is going to revisit its meal plans because attendance is low.
> If there are any changes, they will let us know and make any changes in
> the schedule book. In the summer, they may do their potlucks on picnic
> tables at TS.
>
>
>
> Fire suppression: Ray Fuller, from Howell, has done recent fire
> suppression repairs at TS including two major leaks. He seems to
> understand their system quite well. The builders apparently used 1950’s
> technology in TS’s plumbing, using the cheapest possible sprinkler heads in
> construction. Fuller recommended replacing the heads over time with brass
> fittings. Valves with gauges need to be installed that give pressure
> readings for both water and glycerin. These can help indicate when there
> is a leak.
>
>
>
> 2. Membership report on disengaged households (Sarah from Membership)
>
>
>
> Emily did this work before she moved away. She identified and interviewed
> 5-6 households who participate very little. Their identities are
> confidential. Only one of these households declined to talk with her. The
> conversations were passionate, even though the households are not engaged.
> Emily wrote up an extensive report which left the households anonymous
> and Membership boiled it down even further, trying to focus on positive
> steps that could be taken to help. The purpose not necessarily to fix
> everything but to make us aware of what is at play for people.
>
>
>
> The report is organized in such a way that feedback is given to
> committees. The report is inserted here. Some responses from Steering
> reps follow.
>
>
>
> REPORT ON FEEDBACK FROM DISENGAGED HOUSEHOLDS
>
>
>
> F&L
>
> The feedback we got supports F&L's ongoing efforts to make GO operating
> finances transparent and accessible. Especially important to folks was
> knowing (and perhaps being reminded) how and where to access the balances of
> various GO accounts, info about monthly average cash flow, "pass through"
> accounts and outstanding Association Fees balances.
>
>
>
> STEERING / F&L
>
> There is an interest in knowing who is keeping an eye on, and what
> processes GO uses to, manage its longer term financial health. Folks were
> interested in learning or being reminded what processes or reviews outside
> of the annual budget cycle help us stay on track financially over the longer
> haul.
>
>
>
> MEALS & MEMBERSHIP
>
> Lots of support for continued exploration and experimentation with
> different ways to organize meals and meals seating to create a welcoming,
> comfortable atmosphere in the dining room.
>
>
>
> CRC
>
> Appreciation and encouragement for CRC to continue to address e-mail
> issues, both case-by-case as needed and overall by helping the group to
> identify e-mail etiquette and reminding us once in a while what it is and
> why it's important.
>
>
>
> Recognition of how challenging it is to live respectfully with each other
> in the midst of all our differences. Encouragement and support for CRC to
> raise this up to the group now and then as a reminder to stretch past our
> judgmental selves when we can.
>
>
>
> INFOCO
>
> Support for the Process committee's initiative to re-evaluate alternative
> meetings.
>
>
>
> Support and encouragement for facilitators to continue practicing active
> facilitation, especially in response to difficult emotions or comments and
> behaviors that might be perceived as hostile or aggressive. Recognition of
> the value of well facilitated meetings and how important it is to make a
> space that is respectful.
>
>
>
> Recognition of the importance of Infoco's role as agenda "gate keepers."
> Appreciation and continued support for Infoco's efforts to make sure items
> on the plenary agenda are both plenary worthy and in an appropriate state of
> readiness.
>
>
>
> WORK & STEERING
>
> Recognition of the value of, and support for maintaining, a work assignment
> system that is transparent. Appreciation and encouragement to continue
> on-going review and adjustments to the list of jobs and the amounts of time
> credited to each job. Request for occasional reminders about how the work
> policy and the Work committee handle exceptions to general expectations and
> reductions in assigned work hours.
>
>
>
> Encouragement to the Work committee, and the community in general, to find
> ways to appreciate the work we all do to make GO go.
>
>
>
> Responses from Steering Reps:
>
>
> F&L will be making financial reports more transparent in future, after we
> have completed the external review. Willie’s on-line reports index page
> will help people find the information they want.
>
>
>
> Meals and Membership: Some ideas that came out of the most recent retreat
> with Evan will address this. Still in the works.
>
>
>
> CRC – Not sure how contemporary these concerns are, we’ve gotten better at
> e-mail etiquette, but no harm in reminding ourselves about this from time to
> time. Make sure people are encouraged to use the processes we have in
> place.
>
>
> Current members of CRC: Alex, Susan, Alicia The current season’s
> assignments are posted on the bulletin board by the Guest Room as well as on
> line.
>
>
>
> InfoCo. Unclear about purpose of alternative meetings. Concerns about
> facilitation when people express opinions that are contentious or
> disrespectful.
>
>
>
> Work & Steering: concerns about pre-assignments, need more explanation
> about why if there is a good reason. Concern about too much work, and the
> hours assigned to each job. It’s very important for committees to
> reexamine the amount of work each committee generates.
>
>
>
> THANKS to Sarah for her service on Steering and as convener.
>
>
>
> 3. Meeting day and time for Steering meetings
>
>
>
> One new committee member cannot meet at 5 pm on first Sundays. Turns out
> we’d lose another member if we move the meetings. Gail will follow up
> with the person in question about this. We’ll retain the current
> schedule.
>
>
>
> 4. Convener/Committee Concerns: Committee Effectiveness Agreement
>
>
>
> Willie came to our last meeting with concerns about how difficult it can be
> to find conveners for certain committees. We generated several ideas
> about how to address this, and InfoCo recommended that Process develop a
> universal job description for conveners. This should mention budget and
> work system tasks, as well as training one’s replacement, by recruiting new
> members. Committee mandates should also define what committee members
> do. Conveners shouldn’t feel compelled to do their job forever, but they
> should prepare for the next person. Turns out that we have a Convener
> job description, though it is out of date. The Committee Effectiveness
> Agreement recommends that committees maintain an up to date mandate. A
> few committees are working on them now (Process, F&L, Membership). This
> establishes the committees’ purpose and vision, as well as the convener’s
> job description and what the committee members should do. This should be
> kept up to date and reviewed.
>
>
>
> We tend to have the convener do the bulk of the work. This burns people
> out. Minutes can be an issue if the convener has to do these or insists
> on doing them.
>
>
>
> 5. Other business: none
>
>
>
> 6. Committee Reports
>
>
>
> Grounds: Prepared lots of jobs for Community Work Days. New rep from
> Grounds will come to Steering next month. Lawn care service will start
> soon.
>
>
>
> Work: April and May TS Work Days at GO were supposed to have been folded
> into our May 1 GO Community Work Day. Only two TS people showed up though
> we had expected five, due to a communication glitch. The two who were
> here worked hard and long.
>
>
>
> Becky, Nancy, and Patti will be the point people for TS Work Days going
> forward. Five people are supposed to contribute 2 hours each per TS Work
> Day.
>
>
>
> MONKEY: Nancy will communicate this to Mary Ann Marquart.
>
>
>
> Cher is compiling the Work Satisfaction Survey. She will give us a short
> version. 50% or respondents did not respond to all the questions, most of
> these didn’t respond at all. Not unusual, but disappointing.
>
>
>
> Work is still thinking about a Work Budget. Recommendation that Work get
> input from the community first, and use that to craft a proposal. Mary
> King is willing to help Work plan this input session.
>
>
>
> Common House: Happy with what got done yesterday at the Community Work
> Day. The mops and brooms have been moved to the Laundry Room. A major
> victory for public health!
>
>
>
> Membership: Letter to Realtors: waiting for feedback from F&L. Looking
> for a regular meeting time for the new season. Glad to bring the project
> on feedback from disengaged members to completion.
>
>
>
> Meals: Moving mops to Laundry Room. Unscented soap will be used in
> dispensers. Has about $1500 in its account.
>
>
>
> F&L: Based on discussion at the last community meeting and on our
> existing agreements/practices around the Buildings Maintenance Rollover Fund
> (BMRF) and rebates, Finops will cover the $5000 overage in the Buildings
> Maintenance line for 2009 using funds from the BMRF.
>
>
>
> We are going to work on defining our rollover funds with committee input,
> then bring this to a community meeting for approval.
>
>
>
> We plan to discuss big picture aspects of our budget design with the
> external reviewer to learn about evidence-based best practices in condos
> finance.
>
>
>
> Buildings (Rod/Mac) will write up a spending proposal for handling fire
> suppression problem.
>
>
>
> Three out of four households in arrears have paid in full. We anticipate
> placing one lien.
>
>
>
> Process: ready to bring forward its revised Mandate. Still working on
> proposal for Alternative Meetings, and will work on a Universal Job
> Description for Conveners.
>
>
>
> 7. Adjourn
>
>
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